This invention relates to a pad to protect the finish of articles such as musical instruments.
Musical instruments such as guitars and basses are generally played with the musician standing and the back of the instrument held against the musician's body. Relative movement between the instrument the musician's body causes marring of the often attractive and expensive finish of the back of the instrument. To date, there are two types of protection employed to alleviate the problem. One type is a protective pad equipped with snaps or buttons which attach to mating parts permanently mounted on the back of the instrument. Such a design requires drilling several holes at spaced points about the periphery of the back of the instrument. Such permanent disfigurement of the instrument detracts not only from its aesthetic qualities but from its tonal qualitites as well. Positioning of the mounting holes requires a qualified craftsman, adding further expense to the cost of this particular protective device. In addition to being relatively expensive, since the snap-on pad lies flat against the back of the instrument there is very little air circulation provided between the pad and the instrument, causing fading of the finish in the area covered by the pad.
This latter disadvantage is even more pronounced in the other type of protection currently available; a plastic sheet form fitted to the back of the instrument. This type of fitting prevents any substantial air circulation between the protection cover and the finish, allowing accumulation of dirt and grime. The abrasive nature of this dirt eventually ruins the finish the plastic sheet is intended to protect.